The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-12
The Manufacturers and the Mes
oaQa

The Lewiston journal has been inquiring |
of the agents of the Lewiston mills their
opinions of the effect on the manufacture Of
cotton goods il the policy outlined in the
Presidents message be adopted They all |
agree that the effect would be disastrous.
The mills would either haye to close or their
operatives be subjected to a large reduction
Of wages 81 am certain" said Mr.. Davis, of
the Continental Mills, shat it would be
fatal blow to our manufacturing corpora
tions and would make sad faces throughout
this city, and others, like it, dependent upon
manufactures of this sort" 1.-THE message
is fatal to our industries so far as its general
tone indicates" said Mr.. Pratt, of the Bates
Mills. II don't see how we can manufac-
ture goods if the tariff is removed. aud in the
event of the adoption of such line of policy
as that marked out by the President. it
seems to me that not only does the laborcr
stand chance to suffer, but in the event Of
bis suffering the general market is also
hurt" said Mr.. Bean. Of the Androscoggin
Mills.
President Cleveland's ASSERTION that the
tariff raises the cost of protested articles 10
the consumer by just the aui III of the duty
all the agents say is fallac and that its
falsity has been shown over and over again.
'1he truth" said Mr.. Pusiler is exactly
the reverse. The class of goods upon which
duties are highest are, in a large share of
cases, the cheapest in the market of the
country. The duty on cotton goods is al
most prohibitire and yet cotton goods are
quite as cheap today IN the markets of Amer
lea as they are in Manchester, Eng. II is
natural enough. The competition brought
about at home by protection, ensures in due
time the proper standard Of cheapness. The
market being given wholly, in the line of
goods, to the home manufacturers they have
supplied the market to the extent that 1t is
brought to its lowest point. Take sheeting,
for instance. The duty is somewhere about
two cents yard. They are at the bottom
price to consumers in this country. Re-
move the wall of protection and the influx of
foreign manufactures would so everwhelm
our markets that labor would be brought to
the standard of England. contend. in con-
tradistinction to the argument used by Pres
ident Cleveland and so many others, that II
there should be high, almost prohibitiye
duty ON other kinds Of manufacture, those
other kinds of manufactures would gradual
ly drop in price from the increase Of COM
petition at home"
As to the insinuation in the message that
the manufacturers have been making large
profits the facts show that such is not the
case. For the past two years." says the
treasurer of the Barker Mill ''the mills
OF New England have. with difficulty
made pittanee Of profit. Manufacturers
are at present, as / personally know, content
with a very moderate return, and are com
PEELED in many instances to be content with
balance, not too heavy, on the wrong
side
Such are the responses of practical men to
President Cleveland's method Of reducing
the surplus. They describe simply its effect
upon their own business. But it Is clear
enough that the mischief would not end
there. The prosperity of one class is SO
closely linked with the prosperity OF others,
that one cannot suffer without all suffer.
The mill operative would not alone feel
the effect Of a cut down in his wages. With
less money to buy with he Of course must
buy less Let the wages of the operatives
In the Lewiston mills be cut down and the
effect will be felt throughout all that region.
The farmer will find his market restricted.
so will be the butcher and the baker. A
blow dealt to our manufactures is blow to
our farmers and merchants as well.